Journey Through the Ninth World
by Tayla Lider
Summary: Jace Beleren is a young telepath on the run through the Ninth World, what the Earth as we know it has become over 1 billion years into the future. This is the story within his journal about the dangers and the wonders the future has to show for those alive in those far-distant times... (Numenera-based AU, rated due to one character that's been introduced.)
1. An Explanation Before We Start

This is probably gonna be the most-interesting tale I've done in a while. The events listed in this particular story are transcribed from events that take place in a tabletop RP called Numenera.

Head here for the official site: numenera -dot- com

For those who don't wish to look, or don't trust links that go outside of the Fanfiction site (I don't blame you), here's the cheat sheet.

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><p>Character creation starts with the Who are You sentence, which is formed like such:<br>"I am a (descriptor) (type) who (focus)."

The first I'm gonna go with is actually the Type, which is the D&D equal to one's character class. Numenera only has three Types, but that's all they really need since they are the base one evolves from.

~Glaives are the warriors of the Ninth World. Glaives can wear heavy armor and wield massive weapons, or they can fight with light weapons and armor so they can move quickly.  
>~Nanos are wizard-like characters who harness the numenera to work miracles. These miracles, called esoteries, walk the line somewhere between machine and magic, depending on the Nano's particular skillset.<br>~Jacks are named after jacks-of-all-trades. They have a lot of tricks in their bags, which makes them skilled at a little bit of everything.

Because it wouldn't be the same if I did otherwise, this tale's version of Jace is obviously a Nano. If one wants to play a Planeswalker character in Numenera, they'd HAVE to play a Nano, since only they can get the esotery for it...though it's only available at top tier, though...that or be playing a very-special version of Numenera where everyone that's flagged as a Planeswalker gets it at the start, no matter their Type.

Second, you choose from a number of descriptors like clever, tough, strong-willed, or mystical. Descriptors are pretty straightforward. There are a dozen, and they tell you something about your character's talents, personality, or particular way of doing things. They might be something straightforward like "strong" or something a bit more nuanced like "stealthy." These provide a few skills and things of that nature, and perhaps modify your stats and starting equipment. Descriptors also help define how you got involved with the other PCs and got to the point where you start your first adventure. You can change descriptors during campaigns, which causes you to lose all the traits of the old one and replace them with the traits of the new one.

For Jace, I chose the Intelligent descriptor to fit with a 19-year-old Jace, which is described as so from the Corebook:

"You're quite smart. Your memory is sharp, and you easily grasp concepts that others might struggle with. This aptitude doesn't necessarily mean that you've had years of formal education, but you have learned a great deal in your life, primarily because you pick things up quickly and retain so much."

Intelligent gives him an edge with any form of learning that requires a hands-on approach, such as recalling the way back out of a cavern system if the group he's with gets themselves turned around somehow. Considering he's at the rebellious age in this game where experience is a rather-strict teacher, it's fitting.

Third you choose a focus, which really distinguishes your character. These can vary from crafting illusions to becoming a master of a single weapon, from wielding magnetism to being a great leader. Foci are numerous and define your character, making them something really special. Some of these are like professions or areas of training, making it clear that your character is a leader, a weapons master, or a rugged wilderness wanderer. Others, however, are almost like superpowers, like wielding fire or creating illusions. Foci are some of the best expressions of the numenera in the game, and they might arise from the use of nanotechnology, genetic experimentation, mutations, or any of a number of other sources. Foci grant your character new, specific, and unique abilities. They also present you with a way to have a special link with one or more of the other PCs in your game.

This was a big, big problem for me. Jace in MTG is known for being both a powerful telepath AND an effective illusionist, and most Numenera GMs won't let you have more than one Foci at the same time. This meant I was torn hard between the Commands Mental Powers focus (which is the telepathic focus), and the Crafts Illusions focus. I eventually went with what the boy had first, the telepathic focus...which oddly gives anyone with the focus similar abilities to what the original Jace can do, even what he pulled in the Dragon's Maze part of the Secretist trilogy to stop the 10 guilds from destroying each other...and a good part of Ravnica with them. Nanos can get Invisibility later on, so I wasn't missing out too much on this.

After this, it leaves this Jace with the following answer to the Who are You question:  
>"I am an Intelligent Nano who Commands Mental Powers."<p>

Each chapter will be posted after the completion each in-game day, which sometimes take more than one RP session to complete. Hopefully, introducing Numenera in this way will allow everyone here a new way to ignite your own Spark, hehe.


	2. Journal Entry 001 - The Beginning

I probably should keep this in case something happens and some of my experiences wind up important. I highly doubt it, but I can't exactly predict the future nor have I figured out how to do it yet.

Anyhoo, for those wondering should this be found, my name is Jace Beleren, and to my horrible luck, I'm a telepath. Have been for as long as I could remember. I wish I wasn't, but I don't have the fortune to choose that. I guess I should start this from the beginning, as much as it hurts to recall the past.

I've been hearing the thoughts of others for as long as I could remember, though the realization of what they were didn't happen until I was about 10 years old, when I started using what I 'heard' to my advantage. Oftentimes, my parents would actually punish me for acting on what I 'heard' and they weren't exactly nice about it, either.

After a couple of years of constantly-embarrassing my parents in one way or another, they finally decided to get rid of me. I knew what they were doing, I've heard them call me a 'monster' in their thoughts before. We traveled to a nation within the Steadfast called Iscobal, specifically in a place called Gtharren. We met with an elder Nano named Phiraster, who straight up adopted me from my parents and shooed them away before I could even have a chance to say anything either way.

For seven years, I was actually happy. Phiraster taught me about the Numenera, a mystical force that takes various forms, even sometimes infusing into someone at birth in order to grant Nanos like him and myself unique abilities at times. While the thought of being born with what no one can truly understand possibly infused into my mind somewhat frightens me, it also makes me curious about what else could possibly happen. Are all Nanos merged with the Numenera to some degree? It would explain this cypher he sensed in my left hand when I was 14, though I have never ever dared to use it since. I don't even know why I have such a thing there, I didn't put it in there and never had any surgery for it. Did my own body create it somehow?

While most of the times he would help me make sure my abilities went smoothly, there was one odd incident I still haven't quite figured out, nor would my teacher answer any questions about it. One of the times I was trying to learn how to teleport, I had made a mistake. Instead of teleporting to where I wanted to go, which was across the room for that lesson, I wound up in a strange place. For some reason, I was floating in black nothingness. The only thing that surrounded me was the wide array of colors that splashed against it like a canvas, for lack of better words. When I looked over toward one area of black, I saw a circular splash of blue, green and brown. Unlike everything else, this circle seemed as solid as me and it was surrounded with the strange strands of colorful energies. I didn't stay there for long, though. I disappeared from there and came back to awareness while I was laying on my back. He claimed my power had backfired on me for some unknown reason. I didn't believe him, but I was also too drained to fight him on it, either.

A year after that day, with no further incidents, I decided to try to read my teacher's mind. He had always claimed that he would always sense if I tried it, and so warned against doing so. I had always been curious, since I never heard his thoughts unless he intentionally projected his thoughts toward me, if I could even read his mind.

That had to be the most-painful day of my life.

The very moment I had managed to get into Phiraster's mind, my own mind felt like it was exploding. A surge of power I never knew I had flooded both me and my teacher at the same time, affecting us in different ways. As for myself, my whole body now has these strange lines all across it, making a variety of ornate symbols with all of them connecting to each other, with a small part of those lines even showing up on my neck and face. Their formation burned with a blinding amount of pain the whole time they were appearing, only taking a few moments, but feeling like hours had passed.

As for my teacher, I couldn't even feel his mind anymore afterwards. It was very possible I destroyed it by mistake. The one person willing to take me in when no one else wanted me and I destroyed him. Talk about gratitude on my part. I ran away from the place, taking very little with me before going. I didn't stop actually running until several hours later, when I collapsed near Dynafel and landed on my chest from lack of energy. The only thing I had energy left to do was cry, and since I was just far enough from the city, no one heard me crying. I felt something fall from my eyes at one point and it stopped me for a second. I thought I had shed so many tears I was actually starting to cry blood, but it turned out there was a crystal forming where some of my tears had been falling. I do not know why, but keeping it with me helps me keep my mind intact while losing it appears to madden me. I've been keeping it as a necklace ever since, at least until I figure out how I was able to create such a thing by such a simple act. This strange jewel, the cypher that formed inside my left hand and my developing psychic abilities have all made me wonder more than once if I myself am a living Artifact and that the people I once dared to consider my 'parents' never really were such.

Thankfully, no one's come after me about Phiraster's mental death, though that might also mean no one has found out about him being dead. He was always admittedly a bit of a recluse, so that might have played a hand into things. I had been taking odd jobs ever since, one of my more frequent jobs being as a messenger for more discreet messages, some of them unfortunately being ransoms which I gave what help I could in the form of information after delivering the message via telepathy. While I regret my hand in some of those exchanges, I had to do what was needed to survive. I had come to the walled town of Jyrek in hopes of getting another job to get more shins, though I wasn't expecting the gate to be closed nor wind up caught in a massive fight with others against raiding bandits.

This brings me to today's events...


	3. Journal Entry 002 - Day One

It all started with the smell of burning smoke and the sound of shouting and fighting. I hate being as curious as I am at times, but once again, it got me in trouble. I rushed toward the source of both, almost having a knife cut across my chest. Thankfully, I dodged it and got a cheap-shot on the bastard with an Onslaught spell I didn't even realize I had readied. Braced for a fight, I started summoning further Onslaughts, using the force of the wind itself to my aid in slashing apart the bandits as some other people, I'm guessing adventurers from different paths of life, fought against them in their own ways.

The whole fight, I felt like I was developing a bigger and bigger headache, especially when it seemed like I was hearing the screamer of this impromptu group twice each time he did. I still don't know why I was hearing him with both my ears and my mind. Only partway through did I realize that there was a 'giant human' leading these bandits. I'm relatively-tall and even I had to look up more than a foot to see this guy's face. I knew my normal wind-based spells wouldn't work on this guy, so I had to figure out a way to use the air already around him to fight and I pulled it off. I managed to summon a whirlwind using the Onslaught spell as a basis and kept it up around the bastard for as long as I could. Unfortunately, the coward ran before he was slain, so I redirected the storm toward the other bandits, killing them if they refused to run as well.

The bandits were slain, but the village had been set on fire during the fighting. I did my part by using my whirlwinds to surround and suffocate the flames with the water thrown into them by some of the villagers, turning them into miniature hurricanes. It took a couple of hours, but we managed to do it. It also took that long for the headache I had been fighting the whole time to subside as well.

My attention was later pulled to a particular pair I heard arguing, which turned out to be two of the beings fighting by my side against the bandits. While one of them looked like a normal human, the other was not quite human.

In fact, despite the fact that her arms and legs resembled more of a tiger's limbs and that she had a tiger's tail and ears, I found myself rather-pulled to her, almost sensing a sort of kindred spirit with her. The anthropomorphic tigress was breathtaking in her own way, and as much as I hate to admit it, she had a decent set of breasts on her chest. There was no way for me to _not_ notice, since she was technically almost nude by human standards. The lady, who did later identify herself as a Tigress named Lyn, was being yelled at by someone she later identified as her adoptive brother. She revealed that she had been following Jay as she later called him, who proceeded to scold her for following him from wherever they had come from. My heart plummeted at the mention of a leash and her acting in the role of a simple 'pet' to avoid others treating her with more scorn than normal because of her appearance.

Though I don't like to admit it, some of that fear might be warranted. She looks like she could break me like a toothpick if she were to try and pick me up wrong, especially with those big paws. While I regretted doing so later, I took a few deep breaths to calm myself before sending the pair a telepathic message, stating that not everyone would treat her with such disrespect. After Jay remarked about Lyn having picked up an admirer, most-likely talking about me, I approached the pair while maintaining my telepathy.

I thought Lyn really _was_ going to break me in two, I could feel her fury aimed at me for 'invading her mind' as she called it. About the only reason I didn't panic as much as I should have, curse my being a male, was the fact that she was almost jiggling her breasts in my face when she approached me and I could not help but have my eyes drawn to them.

I heard mention of the Aeon Priestess after her adoptive brother pulled her away from me and decided to use that as a momentary distraction from the thoughts in my head. Accepting the shins the Guard Captain was offering, I asked him why the Priestess was there. Unfortunately, he claimed not to know and I had not yet mastered controlled mind reading yet, so I couldn't find out if that was true or not. I soon heard Lyn calling around for Jay, though she approached me instead to apologize for her earlier.

I suddenly felt horrible for triggering that reaction, since I was the one who stupidly caused it to happen to begin with. After she asked if I had seen Jay since, I referenced him as the 'catboy' she called him earlier and told her I hadn't been looking. Almost immediately after telling her my first name, I wound up find out just how large her forepaws actually were, almost completely covering my face and nearly causing me to fall flat on my ass. She told me not to call him that again, making me think that maybe I've not been the only one called a 'monster' in the past before. Turns out I projected the thought by mistake, because she asked me sheepishly to avoid using the word again before introducing herself finally, which made me feel even more horrible about things.

Finally excusing myself, I bid the tigress goodbye and decided to check out what was left of the town. I took the opportunity to get myself a couple of blank books, one of them I'm writing in now, and writing supplies so I can work out a few theories of my own as well as keep track of events. I just hope it doesn't bite me in the ass in the long run.

On my way to the inn, I spotted one of the bodies that remained oddly-unsearched from the battle that ravaged the town and took note of his armor. While I'm not that physically strong, in a pinch, I could wear armor to protect myself with. With that thought did I remove his chest armor, which turned out to be a metalweave vest, and took it with me. Maybe I can find use for this kind of sturdy armor that wouldn't drain me too much from wearing it.

But now that I'm here in the inn, I'm gonna get some of these ideas of mine out of my head and into the other book, so I can better sleep...


	4. Journal Entry 003 - Day Two

Shrike176: Well, sadly, I am not the ultimate mastermind of this particular plot-line. For once, I am merely the scribe of a tale that will hopefully see its end. It is up to the GM to determine the final end of this tale, whatever that may be.

Also, a small warning, since shit gets real in this chapter, it's a really-long one. :3

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><p>I could feel that everyone in the town was busy before I even truly woke up from my sleep. Opening my eyes and getting dressed in my normal outfit, I wound up seeing a sight that matched with what I was hearing.<p>

People from all walks of life were working together to rebuild the ravaged town, undoing the damage I wound up having a hand in creating to begin with. Fearing I would me more of a burden than help if I tried to help, I decided to simply stay out of the way. It also looked like the group I was helping fight off the bandits with yesterday were also getting ready to go after their leader. I was more than willing to stay behind and go about my own way...

...but I was not given that choice. Instead it was made for me by Lyn, the tigress from yesterday, who literally threw me over her shoulder and carried me to the rest of the group. Just why I yelled at her to watch the cloak instead of demanding that she put me down, I'm still trying to figure out.

Either way, I think I lost any form of 'man card' I had at that moment from this. Really didn't help that if I made the mistake of looking down, I'd wind up looking directly at a big pair of fleshy, fur-covered orbs.

The Aeon Priestess I heard about yesterday introduced herself as Lady Yvonee after Lyn tried and failed to introduce herself to the forming group. She introduced her assistant and bodyguard, Reiliana, whom appeared to be a Glaive, afterwards before venting her frustration at being unable to enter Jyra until the bandits were taken care of, which she rather-loudly projected with her thoughts at the same time. Ow.

Lady Yvonee declared that any 'loot' found in the bandits' place was fair game and that, if we were fast enough, she might even pay us all for the help. As much as the thought of extra shins would be nice to have so I didn't have to possibly deliver another tainted message, I wasn't exactly given the choice to decline it anyway. Lyn still held me over her shoulder, though at least I'm facing in front of her instead of behind her. I heard the dejected mew from the humanoid feline over something, probably being shrugged off by part of this impromptu group.

I pulled my hood over my head and covered as much of it as I could when Lady Yvonee suggested that not everyone was willing to be part of this, pulling a cheap jab at my expense. What makes this even worse is that for four hours, she held me over her shoulder with one arm during this little trip. I don't think _anyone_ would even let me call myself a man now.

I heard Jay, Lyn's adopted brother, remark that we either killed the guards earlier or they're possibly waiting for us and that this is a trap once we arrived. I don't really think this is a trap per se, but I do admit that this place was rather dark once we actually entered into it.

...plus I was strangely hearing in my head someone eating? I wanted to lose my stomach at the thought I was hearing the coward from yesterday thinking that loudly while eating, which made the following dungeon run even _less_ tolerable for a while.

Ignoring the warning to be careful from Lyn toward Jay, I finally worked up the nerve to ask the feline to put me down, which she thankfully did. However, I'm pretty sure _everyone_ nearby felt my frustration when she decided to pat me on the head before getting ready for a fight that might go down at any second. I'm not someone's plaything, dammit.

The loud thinker of the group, whom I found out was a Jack named Rion earlier, grabbed hold of a nearby torch after another demanded that someone grabbed one. I'm just glad he was actually keeping a lid on his thoughts, since I wasn't exactly hearing them right now. However, the thought that the bandits may have trapped their own place was not one I was exactly wanting to entertain after he voiced the possibility.

Even so, since I was stuck with this group for the moment, I just decided to stay close to them. Last thing I needed was to get attacked while alone or something. Even with my ability to manipulate Numenera to a degree, I'm not that powerful.

That munching feeling in my head keeps getting louder and making me feel sicker. Feeling Lyn's dejectedness and annoyance toward one of the other beings in this impromptu group didn't help much with this building headache of mine, either. She soon remarked that there were beings on the other side of the first door we met with, though I could only hear the one...was that the sound of bone crunching in my head? I probably won't even have a stomach after this trip!

I gulped after hearing Lyn mention that there were others behind the door, confirmed by the elven Glaive of the group, Samaria. I didn't argue the Tigress' command for silence, I didn't wish to announce my presence anyway. I just wish she'd keep her aggravation in check.

I made the mistake of projecting to her the fact that she should be thankful she wasn't hearing what I was. She about-faced toward me and growled, one of her eyes twitching as she projected her annoyance toward me, which was enough to make me take a step backwards instead of forwards for a second. It was hard to pay attention to what others were doing after dealing with a metaphorical one-two like that, especially when it almost became literal with her coming close to smacking my face with her tail.

Fortunately, the room immediately behind the first door was empty, leading off into other smaller rooms that were otherwise isolated. While the others were busy looking for their loot, I decided to see if I could figure out what this place had been used for instead.

...really wished I hadn't, though...

Turns out the particular room I searched had been one used for torture, mostly the kind where someone or something alive was being used as a bludgeoning tool against the walls. Unfortunately, as vivid as my imagination could be at times, I was all to easily able to envision some of the possible events that took place. Unfortunately, the 'bludgeoning tool' in these same visions were often myself, which made me decide to try searching the room for anything of value myself. Failed to find anything of use, but it did its intended task of distracting me from my own imagination.

Now that I think about it, why was I here again? This wasn't exactly what I thought I'd be doing today, or even at all. I'm no adventurer, never declared myself such. I didn't volunteer to risk my neck to follow through with this potentially-dangerous task. So, why am I here?

...oh, yeah, the Tigress...she literally hauled my ass in here. Pfft.

And I just caught myself rubbing that one spot in my left palm. I never did find out how the hell a cypher, which is something created way before the Ninth World era even began, wound up forming within my body. It's strange and not having an answer for it is even more unnerving for me.

Once everyone was finally done searching, we all moved forward, the sound of crunching and munching getting ever louder in my head. Even moving the jewel that normally hangs over my heart to just over my ear didn't help buffer against the building headache much.

I wanted to get rid of that giant coward, just so I can get him to _shut up_...

After hearing from one of the others, I didn't catch who, that there were definitely others behind the door, I channeled energy into the lines over my body, activating my Resonance Field esotery by doing so.

However, my attention went toward Lyn immediately after seeing her take a spectacular nosedive to the floor, landing upon her hands and knees in a rather-suggestive manner. After I felt the male bandits she fell among suddenly look upon her like she was just a piece of meat to have their sick fun with, I attacked one of them, summoned another whirlwind under one of their feet to try and rip them up.

All hell just broke loose after we all made our moves, but there was one thing I had never expected to see once I entered the room myself.

There was a black, wingless _dragon_ in the room with the giant human and the other bandits.

I couldn't help but telepathically ask the being why it was there in such an unfitting place, but the answer I got there was just no bracing for.

He was born here, never having seen the world outside...or at least I'm assuming the dragon was a he. The voice in my head being used certainly sounded male. He was here to guard something, to keep others away from something dangerous. After asking what he was guarding, he only mentioned a 'glowing orb'.

Without meaning to, I lost awareness of my surroundings during the telepathic communications, returning to see the others in bloody conflict with the bandits. Thankfully, the dragon had not yet moved and no one had dared to strike it. I still shouted my warning to leave the dragon be.

I only hoped they listen...

I couldn't help but want to clap at Jay's little stunt of body-checking three big guys in a line, bowling over two and tossing the last into the campfire in the room. I didn't, but I really wanted to. That stunt takes way more strength than I could ever dream to muster up, so for him to do so easily gives a firm reminder to never get him mad at _me_.

However, I found my attention focused upon the giant in the room and couldn't help but get mad. This jerk leads the assault on a town, leaves his men behind while he flees and winds up filling my head with his gross thoughts? He was definitely going down for all that.

I don't consider myself as having the mindset of a murderer, but this..._monstrosity_...

He didn't even care that he stepped over one of his own men, specifically the man caught in the campfire, to get to where Jay was and backhand him into a pillar, which started to crack from impact.

Thankfully, the dragon wasn't getting involved just yet.

The other bandits were falling left and right around us, filling my head with their mental cries of pain. I was pretty sure I had drawn blood from my lip from biting so hard to deal with the resulting pain in my head.

There was one bad thing about being a telepath, especially one that had never exactly mastered controlling what exactly I heard from the minds around me. Hearing the final thoughts of those dying. Sometimes, it makes me glad the dead are dead, sometimes, it makes me feel sorry for the fallen, and others...

...my stomach wanted to turn after the last person who died had their head explode. It was fortunate that it stayed put in its appropriate place instead. I instead resummoned the blast of wind around the monstrous human, only realizing afterwards that the big guy was standing on someone in the flames...which I found myself regretting noticing...

I don't know how, but I missed notice of the big guy picking up Jay and throwing him at me and Rion. We both dodged it, thankfully, though I could feel the amount of hurt he was in after impact. Hell, I didn't need to be a mind-reader to guess how much pain he was in, Jay _cratered the wall_ on impact. The flying person broke my concentration on both my Onslaught and my Resonance Field as well, though I simply restarted the former on the asshole.

I moved the gem from over my ear to back over my chest before I get an idea that may hopefully pop this bastard out of existence. With this whirlwind, I had the idea of trying to rip his lungs apart from the inside. Sadly, he kept his mouth closed, so I couldn't literally shove a part of it down his throat like I wanted to.

I managed to dodge another flying body, this one being dead, though I fell to one of my knees at how physically tired I was starting to become. I wasn't meant for combat, dammit! I was never supposed to be anywhere near the fight like I am now!

I started becoming mentally blinded from the rage of that moment, becoming overwhelmed by everyone else's anger. This time, with the winds that I wrapped around the giant, I started trying to strangle him, squeezing his body to crunch him and make his insides into paste. I wanted him dead, and no longer cared if I was projecting that same rage toward the others by mistake.

The dragon suddenly looked up toward us all, looking a bit irked, which could not be good.

I could also feel the big man becoming more and more enraged, almost entering a berserk state. It would not be good for anyone if I also entered that state as well because of this bastard. So, while everyone else was taking the fight right to him, I tried to push all the rage, fury, rage and pain, the only reasons I was even able to stand again, into the whirlwind I was summoning...

He went berserk. I was only barely hanging onto myself. I even recall tears falling from my eyes from the sheer pain of the rage that tried to overwhelm me, of trying to keep hold of my mind.

Feeling I would be useless in this state, I did the one thing I was still able to do.

I psychically begged the dragon for help. How he did so was not how I expected it, though. The dragon reared his head back and unleashed a powerful stream of flame, powerful enough to incinerate the giant instantly. He almost hit me, Rion and Lady Yvonee, however, and we're on the other end of this long room! I think the only reason I dodged it was because I was technically forewarned.

Thankfully, after he was scorched into ashes quite-literally, all the rage and pain I was feeling finally subsided, which almost had me fall flat on my face this time. No, I didn't really make any swings myself, but there is more than one way to drain a person of all their energy. Being overwhelmed with emotion like I was is one of those ways.

Taking a few seconds to get myself back together mentally, I managed to get back up to my feet and walked up toward the dragon, thanking him for his help at the end. Though when I asked for his name, he revealed that he didn't have one. The fact that he mentioned earlier that he had never been outside of this place really began to strike hard at that moment, making me feel really sorry for the black dragon. I tried to think of a possible name for him, but no fitting ideas came to me.

In all honesty, I must _really_ be full of myself for thinking I can give a good name to a dragon...

The others started searching around the room for anything of value once more, though the thought of searching for things in front of a dragon was not one I wished to entertain. Normally, when things fall in front of a dragon, what's on the fallen already belongs to the scaled beast. This would make anyone else searching these same spots be considered 'stealing' in the eyes of most dragons, which I didn't wish to chance finding out if this dragon was the same way.

I tried urging everyone out of the room and back toward the entrance, so that we could all get out of this blood-stained place. However, curse my luck, there was a huge boulder blocking the way out now, and I don't think we could all break it even with working together. It made me verbally wonder if we weren't supposed to be here to begin with, which suddenly prompted Jay to turn toward me and start chewing me out for not shedding some light on what's going on. In all honestly, I didn't truly know what was going on. And not knowing things almost always starts getting me to panic. Because of this, I wound up mentioning the 'glowing orb' the dragon warned me about staying away from, which I'm sure I'm gonna end up paying for in due time.

After being 'commanded' to go talk to my 'friend' with Rion behind me, I came back to where the dragon was, quick to apologize again for the sudden re-intrusion and asked if he knew about the front of the place being sealed away. Unfortunately for me, he didn't. Instead, the dragon mentioned that this place often has a mind of its own and probably has a plan for us all...which just could not be good for any of us, considering what that could mean. I literally dragged Rion with strength I certainly didn't have behind me back to where I last saw the group, with Jay and Lyn arguing with each other once again. About what, I didn't care, my thoughts were in full-swing trying on figure out what to do about the current situation.

Though I was starting to get more and more pissed-off by the sibling pair, and it wasn't even my own anger. I was absorbing their combined anger. I wasn't sure what they were arguing about, but Lyn had called Jay a 'catboy' again, which flared the male's anger right up. I was almost begging them to stop arguing, but instead Jay continued on and yelled at Lyn to stop following him. At one point, he stopped to stare at me before looking back up toward his sister. I reminded everyone, as well as myself, that we all needed to work together to get out of this place. Toward Lyn and Jay, I practically commanded them to save the arguing for when we were out of there and I was out of their hearing range.

At this point, Samaria let loose a whistle that made me wince from the sharpness before scolding the pair for their sibling fight. When Jay looked between us both and told us to get a sibling before we could have the right to 'bitch' about them arguing...

...I lost it. I started talking normally when I told him I did have the right, before suddenly yelling out at the top of my lungs that I could feel _every one of their damned emotions_, that my anger wasn't even my own. It was at that moment that I noticed another source of anger, though this one was a slow-burning anger that whomever was dealing with it was making an effort to not just unleash it. Normally, I would be thankful for this, since it gave me the chance to brace for impact for when that particular kettle did overflow, but I wasn't even thinking straight. Case in point my mentioning that if they didn't knock if off, it probably wouldn't even be me that ended the yelling in a forceful manner.

Jay retorted with a lot of sarcasm that it would be such a good idea to do just that after what we all had to deal with just now. Instead of responding to that with the large amount of acidic thoughts I had in my head, I instead stepped back and covered my face with my hands, trying to will myself to calm down. Lyn tried to tell me to stay out of the argument, that this was a personal issue between her and Jay, but she doesn't understand. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't stay out of it. I'd have to be miles away for that to be a possibility. When I'm this close to others, everyone else's problem has an chance of also becoming my own, even if I don't want it to be such...and I hate it.

There was no bracing for the sudden hug I wound up getting from the Tigress, along with half of my face being against one of her...I think DD-sized breasts... I think my built-up anger was the only reason I didn't end up suffering from a rather-typical male problem because of this, too.

After a few seconds of this, Jay managed to wiggle free of his sister's paws, which is a minor feat, and noticed that both Lady Yvonee and her guard, Reiliana, were not with us. I mentally kicked myself after realizing that somehow, due to these two 'siblings' arguing, I had managed to not sense that two minds in our group were missing. There's also a boulder now blocking the path we came from, so there's no going back the way we came, either.

Right after I made the comment that we don't need to be split up even further, Lyn dashed off ahead of everyone else, which had the rest of us following her. As selfish as this sounds, I'd rather have someone else take the first blow should things go south, thank you. I suddenly felt Jay thankfully making the effort to calm himself down, though he wasn't fully successful. At least I no longer felt like I would be the one who suddenly grew claws and slashed them both through the ne...

...wait, where did that train of thought come from? I'm not one for slashing throats. That might just be a sign that I've been around Lyn for a bit too long already...

As the rest of us started heading down one particular pathway, Samira barreled past us, almost knocking my ass out with fury alone along the way, before everyone stopped in front of a wooden door. Before anyone really got the chance to really see if it was locked or anything, the elven Glaive started wailing away at it with fist, boot and blade. I had to take a few steps back just to keep from getting overwhelmed in another person's anger again. I'm not stupid enough to approach a flailing weapon-wielder, no way.

Though it would seem ironic that I was the one that noticed one important detail. The door had a normal metal handle and it wasn't locked. This was a moment I wished I was telekinetic, just so I didn't have to approach Samira and that big blade...

Just how did he wind up with such a dangerous group of people again?

...oh, yeah. Her...

Steeling what nerve I had, which admittedly wasn't much at the moment, I dared to approach beside the enraged Glaive and open the door. Thankfully, I wasn't hit in the process, though one of those kicks came close to my shoulder.

Apparently, Rion thankfully found more sources of light, for the room we had just entered suddenly became brighter, allowing me to actually _see_ properly for once, instead of being stuck seeing in near-darkness outside of the torch's light. Lyn dashed forward, the out-of-place feeling of curiosity becoming noticable to me as she began to search the room for any useful objects. Not that I minded the sudden change of emotion, curiosity was a welcome emotion compared to the other ones I've picked up from this group so far...

I felt a spark of confusion from her, but my attention didn't go to her after I looked up ahead of me. It went to the orb with the glowing golden aura around itself. It seemed to be connected to other things, I wasn't sure what. If this thing is somehow a form of Numenera, it's not the kind I'm used to working with.

What I work with could be considered 'magic' to some, not...this. I certainly wasn't expecting the many blue runes that showed to appear as well, and there seemed to be four of them I was able to understand.

Activate. Transfer. Mobile. Space.

I dared to approach it, wondering if it was the same orb the dragon earlier had warned up, keeping the gloved hand between me and it incase something strange happened. After repeating the first two words I recognized, a thought crossed my mind as well as a flashback.

Did this possibly have an answer to that weird memory, the one with me suddenly floating in black nothingness after that failed teleport?

I didn't get anything like that, for pain spiked through me unbidden and without a noticeable source and dropped me to the ground on my side. I could feel the lines on my body glowing brighter than normal. I could hear myself screaming at the top of my lungs and making my throat raw in the process. I could feel the tears that managed to escape my eyes.

This could probably rival the day these cursed lines marked themselves upon me in regards to the amount of pain I felt.

I don't know how long I was balled up in pain, I completely lost track of time, but I felt someone moving me elsewhere. The pain lessened to a minor degree, but it was still there. Almost as a point of irony, the pain began to spike in one particular spot in my throat, I think my vocal cords. All I know is that, for a short amount of time, I could no longer scream.

I don't know how long it took, but I finally managed to return to full awareness, though it felt like every inch of me was still in a dulled amount of pain, which made even trying to walk interesting. I don't know what happened, there's a chance I probably would never find out...

Unfortunately, it would seem that unusual orb has demanded attention again, this time everyone's instead of just my own. Lightning sparks started coming off the orb, trying to strike at everyone. Fortunately for me, the bolts didn't come close to me, though I was in no condition to really move, but Lyn came really close to getting nailed. Thank the Eternities Jay tackled her out of the way.

Shakily getting onto my feet, using the wall I was apparently near to brace myself, it seemed like both myself and Rion wound up coming to the same conclusion at the same time. The orb, for whatever reason, was activating and whatever it was meant to do was going to happen wether we liked it or not. The doors of the room suddenly closed themselves, and they were not the kind that could be broken through easily.

We were trapped.

This had to be right up there with some of my more-crazy stunts, but for some unfathomable reason, I had the urge to try and grab hold of the orb and focus on getting us all out of the room using the power of the dangerous device. All while I could barely stand.

Miraculously, it worked, but we all seemed to pass out suddenly from it.

Which, now that I think about it, is not unlike...


End file.
